Device used to create a
belay.
Ok, I know, you're saying "
what a smartass" right now, but to get any more specific you get into particular types of belay devices.
It can be as simple as the rope being passed around your hips, and a breaking action is obtained by pulling it across your waist. Or, as complex as a mechanical device like a
GriGri that has a
cam that automatically locks down on the rope when force is applied swiftly. Or, in an
indoor climbing gym, there are even such things as
automatic belays, usually run by hydraulics, that automatically take up rope and lower you down, without the need for a
belay person.
The most common
belay device in use today is the
tube belay, such as the
black diamond ATC.
PLEASE NOTE: This node is not a replacement for training in any climbing technique or device. It's not a replacement for the advice of the manufacturer of said device, who knows best its limitations. It's not even all the information a person would need in evaluating a decision to purchase or use one device or another. This node exists solely for the purpose of providing a bit of information to a non-climber as to what those little bits are hanging all over that crazy bastard who's dangling like a worm on a hook on some cliff wall.